U.S. Supreme Court hears Tobacco Case

On October 10, 2008, the Supreme Court opened its term with a case to determine whether people can sue tobacco companies under state law for their claims that certain cigarettes were “light” when some lawsuits would be impermissible under federal law.    
From the NY Times:
“The case was brought by three plaintiffs from Maine as a proposed class action. [...]

California Increases Fine for Hospital’s Violation of Patient Privacy

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just signed into law increased fines for breaches of patient medical record confidentiality and increased oversight.  The new bills (SB 541 and AB 211) will permit the state to assess and enforce fines for unauthorized leaking of patient information and will enhance the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards already [...]

Literary Corner – Recent Scholarly Works in Global Health Law

Race, Ethnicity and the Dynamics of Health Insurance Coverage
Robert W. Fairlie
University of California; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); RAND Corporation
Rebecca A. London
Stanford University
IZA Discussion Paper No. 3708
Abstract:
Using matched data from the 1996 to 2004 Current Population Survey (CPS), we examine racial patterns in annual transitions into and out of health insurance coverage. We [...]